


things said and left unsaid

by zagspect



Category: Cardcaptor Sakura
Genre: Dysfunctional Family, Gen, erihome dynamics, eriol as a shadow overcast throughout, immediately post-sakura card arc
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-03
Updated: 2020-12-03
Packaged: 2021-03-09 22:54:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 937
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27864141
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zagspect/pseuds/zagspect
Summary: home is where the need to communicate through secrecy and implication is. ruby mourns her latest misstep. spinel offers comfort as best as he can. neither one lets themselves consider: this is by design.
Relationships: Hiiragizawa Eriol & Spinel Sun & Ruby Moon, Ruby Moon & Spinel Sun
Kudos: 2





	things said and left unsaid

**Author's Note:**

> digs all the way back in the archives for my...first ? i think? ccs fic , from may 2020 . now i get to edit it with monthslater sensibilities heheheeee
> 
> anyway it always gets me that ruby didnt know what the plan was for but at the explainy party goes OH OF COURSE HE NEEDED TO DO IT LIKE THAT DUHH. OBVIOUSLY. meanwhile shes been the whole time like yue needs to litchrally die and spinel and eriol stare like "theres always one weak bitch in the group who *IS!* totally down with murder"

"Hey, Suppi?"

Spinel opens an eye from where he's curled up on a pajama shirt on Ruby's floor. She's packing, her back to him as she folds up clothes.

"Yeah?"

"Did he tell you what he was trying to do? With Sakura, and...all that."

He did not. 

"I used my brain", Spinel says. "That's all."

He rolls his eyes, like, if she didn't pay close attention, that's _her_ fault. 

"Oh."

Ruby stays quiet for a moment as she folds another shirt, and then sits hunched over the suitcase, absolutely still. A catlike gesture, and Spinel nods approval.

Without warning, she grabs the shirt and hurls it across the room. Spinel jumps, no longer approving.

"I'm so _embarrassed_ ", Ruby groans, getting up and fishing the t-shirt out from behind a dresser. "I was trying to _help_ him! Yue could have DIED!"

"He might have, yes." Spinel agrees.

"Because of me!! And I'd look so _dumb_. I already look dumb just for trying."

Spinel flicks his tail at her.

"So apologize. We don't leave for a few days."

"I'm too embarassed."

"Eriol wants us to visit anyway. He said something to me last night about it being a shame no one's stolen Yukito's glasses as a prank. After Clow went through all the trouble of giving him glasses, he said."

"I'm already embarassed, Suppi. I'm not apologizing in front of _him_."

Though she does take note that Spinel seems to have been having chats with Eriol when she's not around. So it may not have been a simple case of him just thinking harder than her about the way their carefully constructed pranks-slash-murder attempts always seemed to fail. This is how they communicate, with the information they hide from each other louder than any words spoken. Ruby is worst at it, even worse than the household's new addition, who takes to it like she was born for such things. It's frustrating, honestly, it makes her ball her hands into fists. Eriol is going to complain that Ruby has wrinkled her shirt beyond repair, and then he will repair it anyway.

"Write them a letter."

"Noooooooo," Ruby groans again, abandoning her packing to bury her head in her pillows. "That's WEEKS of embarrassment. Plus, I think Eriol reads our mail."

"He does?"

She's surprised he didn't know that. Then again, cats don't often get letters.

"Yeah, the other month I sent away for a raffle, and he plunks down this sealed envelope on my lap giving me that smile he does, all, 'Aw, better luck next time!!' So. Yeah. Just so you know."

She makes a noise as if she is going to say something else, and then thinks better of it. Turns over instead, stares at her ceiling. There are still glow in the dark star stickers up there. When they moved in and she picked out her room (insisted on doing the picking), they were there already, and the constant glow at night has bugged her ever since. She has about five different guesses as to what the stickers do, and two are based on the constellation they form, which she had to look up in an encyclopedia, which makes her feel smart about it. All of her guesses make her sleep with a sleep mask over her eyes and do her homework in the bathroom.

How I wonder what you are, goes the song, and she will wonder forever. She doesn't plan on asking. If they truly were ordinary craft-store stickers and she only thought they were magic it will go on her long, long list of things she'll never live down.

"You guys don't, like, talk about me behind my back, right."

Spinel does not even honor this with an answer, just thumps his tail on the floor. Of course they do. 

"Did he expect me to understand?"

Which is a less accusatory way of putting what she wanted to say before- _why is he like this_.

Spinel stretches and jumps on the bed next to her, bumps his face to her arm.

"I don't think so," he says. "I think you acted how he expected you to act."

"Oh."

A long silence. Spinel walks in circles by her head.

"It's not like he can't trust me with secrets", Ruby mutters. It's a left out and bitter thought but she says it loud enough for Spinel to hear in the hopes that he will think she is bragging about past secrets given.

"I know."

She huffs. At least pretend it was new information, have some manners. Now she's left wrongfooted again.

"You won't..... tell him I said anything, right?"

"You act like I pay attention to you."

Spinel says it meanly but he winks at her. She sticks her tongue out at him in return, and he zips out on butterfly wings to pull the door shut behind him.

"No, no, get back here. Really, I mean it, if you tell, I'll-"

She doesn't know what she'll do. All the power of the moon at her fingertips, and no ideas.

He pokes his head back in and considers her for a long second before taking pity on her. 

"He won't hear it from me."

That's the best one can do in this house when it comes to secrecy. She'd hug him for it but he'd just complain and threaten to change his mind, so-

One of his ears twitches. Cat's hearing is famous for being sensitive.

"Good luck with packing." He's good at this. Ruby always gets just a little too loud.

"Thanks", she says, and means for a lot more than just the luck.

**Author's Note:**

> (gets out my overly complicated chart of my weird and hyperspecific headcanons abt how all of clowriols creations view each other / him bc ive just marinated in my own headcanonry for months) -so eriol didnt WANT to be a parent but ruby said you are my dad boogie woogie woogie and eriol said well your charmingly sung six second vision of the future has changed my mind. and spinel said god dammit i wanted to be his intellectual discussion friend . his business partner purrhaps . but you ruined it for me and now im his, ugh, "furry baby".


End file.
